Esteban Elizondo Iriarte
Esteban Elizondo Iriarte, born in 1945 in San Sebastián, studied piano with Modesta Pastor, José María Iraola and Juan Padrosa (First Prize) and organ with Tomás Garbizu (First Prize) at the conservatory of his home town. Subsequently he studied organ for three years with Anton Heiller in Vienna. He also participated in various master classes.
Since 1971 he has taught in the Conservatorio Superior de Música in San Sebastián, of which he was director for many years. Many of his students are in turn teachers in various conservatories. As a consultant he oversees the restoration of numerous Romantic and Baroque organs in the province. Upon his initiative the yearly interpretation classes for Romantic Organ Music in the Basque Country have been organized in the context of the “Quincena Musical Donostiarra”. Thus the city regularly hosts the leading specialists of the Romantic repertory.
Elizondo has concertized throughout Europe, the United States and Japan, as a soloist or with orchestras, and has made CD recordings for Titanic (USA), Motette and Aeolus (Germany). A major part of his activity is devoted to the spread of Romantic organ music from the Basque Country throughout the world, with particular emphasis on the organ works of Jesús Guridi.
In 2002 he receives the doctorate in philosophy and education at the Barcelona university, with his dissertation “The romantic organ building in the Basque Country and Navarra (1856-1940)” with Summa cum laude. This work was also rewarded with the investigation prize, written out by the Choral Association of San Sebastián and the University of the Basque Country. Later he receives a special prize awarded by the Barcelona University for the same work.
